


Six Feet Under

by bewithmereylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Archaeology, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Canon Compliant, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Past Lives, Prompt Fill, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo Week 2020, Shag an Archaeologist Day, Soft Ben Solo, Tumblr Prompt, Vaginal Sex, i studied archaeology in college so this is v accurate!!!, it's canon compliant but author said fuck the canon, ok at first he's an ass but he gets v soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewithmereylo/pseuds/bewithmereylo
Summary: Egyptologist Rey Johnson and Archaeologist Ben Solo are rivals on a dig when they find a journal full of strange symbols, detailing the life of a man who lost the woman he loved.  As they decipher it, they experience flashbacks of themselves in another world and try to deny the truth until they can no longer.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 91
Kudos: 249
Collections: REYLO WEEK 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first completed fic and my first prompt fill! I studied archaeology in undergrad so I'm taking my experiences/knowledge of being in the field and sprinkling them in this fic. Take everything with a grain of salt, of course, since no two archaeologists digs are the same and my focus was in Mayan studies. 
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bewithmereylo) and [Tumblr](https://bewithmereylo.tumblr.com/)!

It was hot. The weather was always sweltering, but today, it felt more intense than usual.

Ben brought the back of his glove up to wipe the never-ending stream of sweat away from his forehead. He regretted buying the dark brown outback cap for this dig since his colleague hadn’t thought to set up tarps. The workers, used to the temperature, didn’t utter a single complaint when Rey showed up to the site with only her toolbox and stacks of journals. But Ben, being a stupidly tall, large, and pale man, felt his skin start to burn within ten minutes of being outside. 

Rey, of course, ignored all his complaints and continually offered him her meager bottle of ten SPF sunblock that expired two digs ago in her toolbox. She ordered the tarps over a week ago; because they were so far from any major cities, she had to wait for someone to drive them to the dig site from Cairo, which wasn’t a far drive if it weren’t for the lack of cell reception and the lake separating the site from, well, everything. Withholding this information from Ben was just part of the fun, as her days were plagued by five A.M. wake up calls and eight hours of dealing with her grumpy coworker.

The team was making good progress but still hadn’t uncovered anything of particular importance; fragments of pottery, animal bones, and too, too much sand. Ben set himself up on the opposite side Rey was currently focused on to give himself complete control over the workers in the nine-by-nine square he was currently in. Someone near Rey had found a large pottery fragment with the inscriptions still intact and she went to work attempting to translate the hieroglyphics on the sides.  
While he wanted to continue this silent pact they made, he was curious as to what she was deciphering. Her eyebrows were knit in concentration as she held the magnifying class to the postcard-sized fragment. They stayed wrought when Ben tapped her on the shoulder. She didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. “What?”

“Woah, someone forgot to put vodka in their coffee this morning,” Ben shot back sarcastically. 

Rey rolled her eyes and pushed her sunglasses back onto her face. “Ah, that’s better. Need the glasses to even be able to stare at how bloody pale you are.”

It was a running joke that Ben couldn’t tan and only shifted between stages of sheet white and firetruck red. He was currently at stage three, having very, very faint tan lines where the sleeves of his button up ended and his arm began. “Well, maybe if you remembered to buy tarps, you wouldn’t have to stare at this blinding physique all day.” He moved to get a closer look at the artifact.

“Ugh, barf, I’d rather look at that cheesy-ass version of Imhotep in _The Mummy_.” 

“Ooh, harsh words.” He snatched up the artifact from her hands and carefully examined it.

“Solo,” Rey warned, no doubt thinking about the last time Ben handled a piece of pottery and the dusty mess he left after dropping it on the floor of the hostel.

“I’ll be careful, sweetheart.” It was nothing significant to Ben, but he knew how important it was to Rey in her dissertation research. Ben had received his Ph.D years ago, but Rey was in the final stages of completing her doctorate. She was a force to be reckoned with in the archaeology community after her discovery of a cemetery in Saqqara. 

When the grant was extended to both of them, it was made apparent to Ben that it was _his_ privilege to be working with her instead of the other way around. It was as if his discoveries at Memphis ten years prior during his dissertation meant nothing, and while he had nothing else against, her, that alone was enough to make his life a living hell for the entirety of the dig. The workers had shown their approval for her rather quickly, even though most of them Ben knew from previous work nearby. It was infuriating, but their banter had become part of the norm, and Ben looked forward to being able to push her buttons, even if she pushed his right back.

“What’s significant about this?” he asked, brushing some sand away from decorated engravings.

“Well, I’d be able to tell you if you wouldn’t interrupt my research.” She stood up to grab it out of his hand while Ben held it high in the air. She was tall, but not near enough to reach up to where his hand was. “Seriously, we have work to do.”

“Oh, I know.” He knew he was being a snarky asshole, but he was too annoyed to care anymore.

Rey rolled her eyes and looked at the area around Ben, then squared her eyes on his hand. “Fine.” She took a few steps back and started running at Ben. His eyes went wide, but his feet were glued to the ground as Rey jumped into the air and seized the artifact from his hand. In the process she accidentally knocked her foot on his leg and sent him down with her, landing in a puddle of limbs and sand. 

Ben was too stunned to detangle himself, but Rey made quick work as she assessed the state of the fragment. A sigh of relief left Rey’s mouth as she examined it for any damage. “It’s okay.”

“That’s good,” Ben said, his voice filled with genuine relief. Rey didn’t take it for that and shoved some sand towards his face.

“You are absolutely infuriating,” she snapped, stomping her way back to her workstation and continuing her research. 

He spit into the dirt and ran his hands through his hair, sending sand all over the table. “What did I do now?”

“Shove it, Solo.”

He threw up his hands and began to walk back to his square when he heard Rey put down the magnifying glass, swiveling in her stool to get a better look at him. “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you such an asshole?”

Ben poured out the sand in his cap. “This is just who I am.”

“Bullshit.” He expected her to still be cross with him, but her brown eyes held nothing but curiosity and doubt. “I’ve read your articles on Memphis for undergrad and went mental when I found out I was going to be working with you on this dig. All my professors painted you as this, well, _god_ almost-”

“Oh, goodness.” He was suddenly grateful for that hat as he felt his ears starting to turn red at her comment.

“-and, well, I’m a little underwhelmed,” she finished, averting her gaze. 

Underwhelmed was honestly nicer than what he was expecting. Ben shrugged, not wanting to tell this bright, young woman that the sole reason he hated her was because she had her life more together than him. He got his Ph.D at 28, but here was Rey, 25 years young and only this dig separating her from a world of possibilities and a fancy prefix in her name. 

“Guess I don’t translate well onto paper.” 

Before Rey could say anything else, Ben was already back at his square, brushing the sand away, knowing there wouldn’t be anything underneath but needing to distract himself from whatever that was that just happened.

******

Three weeks in and the tarps finally arrived. Ben pretended to be very interested in a pile of sand that was sifted through four times already while Rey assisted the workers in hanging up the large squares of plastic over the main plotted square. She could forgive him eventually for not helping, but after seeing the ring of pale skin around his eyes from his sunglasses surrounded by his sunburnt cheeks, that alone made up for his refusal to help. 

Rey overheard the workers gossiping one day during lunch (which Ben took inside the hostel almost a mile away half of the time) and figured out why Ben disliked her so terribly. She had a suspicion that it was because of her age and prestige of working with him; she would’ve rather had it remain a passing thought in her mind. It was a temporary situation, so Rey decided she would make the most of it by being an asshole right back to him.

In her dreams, she would’ve preferred to be acquaintances, maybe even friends, and, always a fleeting thought, _involved_ with one another. Relationships between archaeologists weren’t uncommon, and the age gap wouldn’t have even been a problem. The real issue was that they were too damn stubborn to even entertain the idea of being friends. He was attractive, that was for certain; after reading a few of his articles for her capstone course, she did some research and was pleasantly surprised to find he wasn’t old. Even more pleased to find that he was _hot as fuck_. 

But once he opened his mouth, she instantly shut down any thoughts she had of climbing this giant ass man like a tree. 

******

By the end of the fourth week they had found close to nothing; just a few more pottery fragments too faded for any interpretation. She poured over the one her and Ben fought over, but it turned out to be part of a chamber pot and wasn’t much use to Rey. She wanted to start fresh at a site with little information but didn’t expect there to be almost _nothing_ under six feet of sand at Tjaru. It wasn’t until the week after that Rey started to panic; if she didn’t find anything substantial enough to write her dissertation about, she was screwed. 

She could tell Ben was getting frustrated too, but he started keeping his distance after accidentally walking in on Rey crying in the base camp tent. Shards of pottery were scattered around the table, her hand in a fist after she grabbed one too hard and it crumbled to dust underneath her fingertips. Even worse, it was one that had intact hieroglyphics on them. Pictures would help but the quality was never pristine enough to make out the micro engravings lining the top. Rey started screaming at Ben to go away, to fuck off from the dig and leave her alone to figure out how she was going to write a two-hundred-page paper with no information. 

Instead of screaming at her back, he placed another artifact on the table. “Rahi just found this, in Unit 29. It’s been documented and photographed already; all yours.” Ben backed out of the tent and shouted to the workers to take a break. 

Rey felt guilty at not knowing which one Rahi was, but even more shocked at how Ben didn’t retaliate. It gave her a warm feeling that threatened to make her thoughts run wild with fantasies involving her and Ben and that cramped bed in the hostel, but she turned her attention back to the artifact and pushed everything else out.

Hours passed and Rey had made no progress on the piece Ben gave her. Her watch told her there was only an hour left before the sun reach its highest peak and the workday would end. She debated letting everyone go home early so she could hole up in her room at the hostel and stare at the artifact until it started talking to her when she heard a commotion come from outside the tent.

“Rey! Get out here, now!”

She snapped her head up from the table and shifted the tent flap aside to see Ben sprinting towards it at full speed. Her eyes widened as she quickly bagged the artifacts on the table and secured her notebook. “What’s going on? Is someone hurt?”

“No, just come here!” He snatched her hand and dragged her through the sand to a unit deep in the center of the site. She had only seen Ben smile a handful of times, but his face was about to break at how wide his smile was. Whatever it was he found had the whole team giddy with excitement. The worker (Izmed, Rey remembered) was kneeling in the pit, brushing sand away from a foreign object Rey nor Ben could make out. 

Rey asked for a closer look in Arabic and Izmed complied, satisfied with his job of uncovering the artifact, reached into the pit and pulled it out, revealing it to be a stack of papyrus paper bound by twine. It was in pristine condition and wasn’t threatening to fall apart at any time, which was a miracle considering how old it probably was. 

Izmed stood up and carefully handed the journal to Ben, who looked at Rey for guidance. “This is your project, what do you think this is?”

Stepping closer, Rey could tell instantly that the language depicted on the front of the journal was not any she knew. It was full of harsh lines and weird symbols that looked nothing like any type of hieroglyphs she had studied. “I… don’t know.”

For once, Ben knew exactly what to say. He yelled at the workers to take the rest of the day off so Rey could focus on the journal. “They needed a break anyway.”

She gave him a small smile as they stepped carefully through the pits to reach the tent. For the first time during the dig, they worked together to bag the artifacts carefully and document the journal. They rode in silence back to the hostel, but it wasn’t awkward or tense; it felt peaceful. Rey took her hair out of her three tight buns and let it blow wildly in the wind of the jeep they rented for the trip. Rey thought she saw Ben staring, but she turned her attention back to the sunset.

They parted in the living room as Ben went to shower and Rey began to organize the bags into the bins of other finds. She was debating ordering something from the restaurant nearby when Ben came from his room, running a towel through his damp hair. There was no air conditioning in the room, and Ben opted to wear a thing white shirt, which gave Rey a front row view of his sculpted body. His gym shorts hung low on his hips and could see his abs in between the shirt and pants. Her mouth literally _watered_ at that, and every filthy thought she ever had about Ben suddenly swarmed her and if he kept standing there like she was-

“Can I help you?”

 _Fuck_. She was goggling. “Uh, thought, uh, you had something on your, um, shirt,” Rey stammered out. Ben shrugged while Rey busied herself with another bag of artifacts.

“So, I had a thought.”

“That’s a first.”

Ben scoffed and threw the towel back into his room. “Well, my thought was that we’d order in tonight, I’ll even throw in a bottle of champagne or some fancy shit for having to spend time with me outside the site. You in?”

Rey would’ve done it for food alone, throw in the alcohol and she was a goner. _I just hope he doesn’t fuck it up with that stupid mouth of his_. “I’m down.”

“Alright, what do you want to eat?”

 _You_. “Anything, I’m not picky.”

After Ben left, Rey took one of the fastest showers in her life and made sure she didn’t smell before settling down on the floor in the living room. She brought the journal out even though she should have been using the time to check up with her friends, but kept feeling drawn to it. She had leafed through it a few times, but nothing made sense to her. Rey identified icons that were similar or identical but had no idea where to start when it came to deciphering which letter of the alphabet it represented. Weird enough, she felt some sort of familiarity to the weird symbols on the pages but couldn’t place a time when she saw these before. 

“Your UberEats order has arrived,” Ben shouted from outside the door.

She laughed to herself at Ben’s comment and put the journal away. Rey helped him bring the food inside and grabbed two cups from the cabinet in the kitchen for the champagne. He got her shawarma, which was her favorite but never recalled telling Ben that. _It was as if he knew_ , she thought. That stupid warm feeling came back and made Rey feel dizzy with feelings she had been repressing. 

They ate and talked about their pasts; Ben learned Rey was orphaned at a young age and had been finding family in her friends that she met at graduate school. Rey found out Ben was a gigantic _The Lord of the Rings_ fan when he was younger and his mom spoiled him with a complete Gandalf cosplay, which prompted Rey to stalk his Facebook until the infamous picture popped up on a birthday post from a family friend. They both loved pineapple on pizza and had never found another person who loved it with such passion as the two of them did. 

By the end of the night, they both had forgotten about anything they fought about in the past month. They were laying on the floor and Rey was in heaven; through the stank of alcohol permeating from both of them she could smell his shampoo, which was rather boyish and reminded her of the bus she rode to and from school in ninth grade. It was intoxicating, and they spent the rest of the night debating various topics, which was currently whether or not e-sports was a sport.

“People spend money to watch e-sports games and the athletes have to train for them-”

“You did _not_ just call someone who plays games on their ass for ten hours a day an _athlete_ ,” Ben argued, pushing Rey gently.

“I did too! They have incredible eye coordination and deft hands, like, it takes skill to sit for that long and play that game every single day just to hopefully have a chance of winning.” She went to take another swig from the bottle of champagne and pouted at its emptiness. 

Ben scoffed. “You sound like someone who would participate in that kind of bullshit.”

Rey gasped and sat up. “I’ll have you know that I was my undergrads e-sports champion my freshman year.”

“You went to a liberal arts school, didn’t you?”

“Possibly.” Her undergrad wasn’t the most prestigious when it came to an archaeology program, but thankfully she had Cornell to wipe away her time at a school that shut down a mere two years after receiving her degree. 

“I thought so.” Ben yawned and checked his watch, almost looking melancholy when he saw the time. “We should probably get to bed.” 

“I suppose.”

He leaned almost to give her a kiss, and Rey began to panic before realizing that he was just reaching around her to grab the empty bottle. Ben did stay in close proximity and Rey froze as he pushed a piece of hair that escaped her top bun behind her ear. 

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Ben whispered before turning away and stumbling into his bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Sweetheart, in the past, was used more of a taunt than a term of endearment. There was nothing but genuine doting, and Rey found it difficult not to go knock on his door and demand she be called that for the rest of her days.

Getting to her bed was an ordeal and she didn’t bother with her hair. The last thing Rey saw before drifting off to sleep was the journal on her bedside table next to her charging phone.

 _I didn’t put that there_.

******

Her feet were wrenched to the ground, arm taunt behind her back, gripping something metallic. Rey hadn’t seen a forest this dense in years, a curse of being an Egyptologist. Her pajamas were replaced with lengths of fabric covering her torso and thick boots on her feet. She was face to face with a monster, wearing the mask of a warrior, carrying a glowing sword. The creature in black stepped forward; Rey could feel the heat from his sword. _Was it made out of fire?_ she thought.

“The girl I’ve heard so much about.”

The voice that comes from within the mask sounds familiar. _Too_ familiar. Almost like…

 _Ben_.

Rey was dreaming; she had to be, right? But the soft forest beneath her feet felt so real and the sweat clinging to her… whatever it was she was wearing, made her feel sticky like she was after a long day in the sun. It only then registered that the man, creature, thing that sounded exactly like her dig partner had sauntered behind her. 

“The droid…” he began. Rey _still_ couldn’t move and was struggling at whatever force was holding her in place. 

_I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming, I’m_ fucking _dreaming_ … 

The sword was two seconds away from cutting her head off.

_“Where is it?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tjaru – This is a real place two hours east of Cairo, Egypt! There isn’t much known about it (which is why I chose it) but if you look it up on Google you can find out some more stuff about it. 
> 
> Workers – Many dig sites in Egypt and Central America receive help from locals for the digs, so when I say workers, this is what I mean. 
> 
> Cemetery in Saqqara – This was a recent discovery made back in November. It was the first Roman-era cemetery found in Saqqara and catacomb tombs were also found, dating back to the first and second centuries.
> 
> Ph.D – There is no way Rey got her Ph.D at 25. That’s about the most inaccurate thing in this whole story, but with the age difference I got stuck ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for the kind comments on the first chapter!!! This has been so fun to write and has really helped me get through this weird time in our lives.

“Did you sleep alright last night?”

There was at least another hour before the sun rose, but the two were both wide awake. Ben was shoveling his second bowl of oatmeal when he perked up at Rey’s question.

“I mean, besides the lack of AC? No, I slept fine.”

She felt relief at him not asking her reasoning, knowing he definitely slept through the night and didn’t count the dots on the ceiling tile trying to distract himself from the same dream (vision?) that Rey had.

“Why?”

Never mind.

“I… uh, didn’t sleep well, that’s all.” Rey tried to busy herself with a pottery fragment she had studied a dozen times already hoping Ben wouldn’t pursue this topic. 

“How does that affect me?” 

She was taken aback by his rudeness. “I was just asking a simple question.”

“Rey, honestly, I don’t care if you slept well or not. I’m hungover and not up for this right now, and besides, we have more important things to focus on.” His face told Rey that they were at an impasse and he went to get dressed for the day before Rey could retaliate. 

_Well, that was nice while it lasted_.

******  


“Where am I?” 

Rey’s hands and feet were bound in metal shackles, her back against a long piece of metal acting as a stretcher. She sensed nothing but her nervous energy in the small, dimly lit room. She felt herself speak involuntarily to the figure crouched in front of her.

“You’re my guest,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Where are the others?” She spoke yet again without thinking about it, but at least this time she had control of her body and could flex her fingers in the tight restraints. Who were the others? Why was she so concerned about getting out? _What the hell was going on?_

“Do you mean the murderers, traitors, and thieves you call friends?”

 _Friends?_ Finn was a thousand miles away in Mexico uncovering Maya pyramids with Rose by his side; Poe was going to join them in two weeks; how were they involved in this? She prayed to every single god in the world that Ben wasn’t the one under that mask. He was delusional, asking her these questions and calling her friends, _his_ friends, murderers-

_It’s just a dream, Rey. It’s just a dream._

But the coldness seeping through her thin clothes told her otherwise.

“You’ll be relieved to hear I have no idea.” He tilted his head, like a puppy who didn't understand something. “You still want to kill me.”

No, she absolutely did _not_ want to kill whoever (or whatever) this was.

“That happens when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask.” 

Panic started to swell as she realized this may not be a dream, she was stuck here in this room far, far away from the comfort of her hostel in Egypt and had no way of getting out. 

_Maybe he had the wrong girl; there must be someone else he was looking for, something he was in search-_

He took off his mask and Rey’s brain shut down completely.

Those same hazel eyes and forgiving stare gazed back at her. Soft, plump lips that whispered _Sweetheart_ in her ear a few nights ago were curved almost in a smirk. The only thing that was missing was the scruff he called a beard on his face. This Ben was clean-shaven, hair expertly gelled to reflect his curls (did he have tiny combs in his helmet?) and radiated nothing but _darkness_. Ben could be a dick, but he was not an evil person. Sadistic and sarcastic, yes, but malicious? Never.

Not her Ben.  
******  
Ben had ceased almost all conversation with Rey unless it was about professional matters. To say the least, Rey was hurt. After that night, she had been experiencing the dreams almost every night, and they were always different, but Ben was the one constant she had in them. Sometimes they would start with her alone or with Finn on what looked like a spaceship; others ended with her and Ben fighting with those laser swords once again. But he was always there, always wearing that sinful black cloak, eyes swarming with mischief and rage. 

She hated to admit it, but she missed _him_. Missed their daily jabs at one another; missed the crinkly smile he would give her when she cracked the code on an artifact; she missed Ben. However, he was treating her like shit, and for no apparent reason. It made Rey wonder if the universe was telling her to forgo any relationship with Ben because he was an asshole in and out. If the dreams stopped, she would forget ever fancying Ben and just stick it out for the rest of the dig.

But the nightmares were too real to deny any longer.

“Oh, fuck me.”

Rey paused her meticulous brushing on a large piece of stone to see what Ben was griping about now. He was taking a coffee break and had spilled it all over his white button-down. Apparently, it was still hot enough that Ben had to rip his shirt off to avoid being scalded, buttons be damned. Thank _God_ Rey was wearing sunglasses, because she could not believe what her eyes were seeing and couldn’t take her eyes off of it.

Ben Solo had a fucking _eight-pack_. 

He was chiseled like an actual god, his chest so broad and built that she, for the hundredth time this dig, felt absolutely parched. Here was a tall, _very tall_ glass of water and Rey gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn’t pounce on him like the feral sand gremlin she was. Ben was _shredded_ in every sense and she could not believe he was still single. 

By the time Rey shook herself out of her daze, Ben had already put on another shirt from the jeep and had thrown his ruined one in the backseat. Rey sighed, her entertainment for the day cut so short. 

Ben needed to get his shit together or Rey was going to explode.  
******  
Sleep wasn’t coming to Rey that night, her body tensed up, knowing as soon as she closed her eyes the nightmares would return. Opting to pull an all-nighter, she laid out a few artifacts and her fourth journal of the dig on the floor of the common space. Ben went to bed immediately after they returned, still ignoring her and keeping to himself. There were only 57 days left in the dig and Poe would be here in a little over two weeks; she could get through this.

An hour passed and Rey was accomplishing nothing; she had already studied these artifacts for countless hours and hadn’t missed a single detail. She could begin to write a story with what was found so far, but it wasn’t coherent or complete enough to even establish the site as something. From what she had researched, Tjaru was supposed to be a pilgrimage site for ancient Egyptians to perform rites and rituals. But all she could find were ancient chamber pots and a stupid journal that Rey was certain was left by some drugged-up looters.

There was no reason to continue studying the journal, as the piece sent for dating came back inconclusive, but something held her back every time. 

Even so, she casted aside the artifacts, opened the journal, and began to leaf through it once again. Rey didn’t expect to understand anything; it has been her third time that day trying to decode it. But it always stayed the same; twenty-five pages of the strange symbols, written with precision handwriting. It looked like diary entries, with slashes in between two or three symbols on the top left of every page. 

_I guess you can consider that progress_ , she thought.

Rey went to sip at her tea when she noticed something new. The first thing Rey pointed out was the signature of who wrote the journal entries; four letters in their first name and three in their last. Around page seventeen, the number of letters in each word was flipped; three, then four. The penmanship was the same throughout the whole booklet, so either the author changed his name or was writing for someone else, but she highly doubted the latter

 _The author has two names_.

She remembered her dream from the past night. Rey was on an island now, learning how to use the lightsaber (she finally was informed of the name) under the guidance of someone who looked strangely enough like her grad professor. 

_You didn’t fail Kylo; Kylo failed you_.

 _Kylo Ren_.

The letter count was switched.

Was Kylo Ren Ben Solo in another life?

To double check, she grabbed one of Ben’s report from the pile and compared the handwriting. The curves of his lines were almost identical to the one in the journal. They were two different languages, but Rey could easily pick out his handwriting even in Arabic. 

Either Ben planted this as a ploy to get back at Rey, or…

Rey didn’t even know what the _or_ was.

_“REY!”_

She bolted up at Ben’s scream. The worst situations came to mind; he was bitten by a spider or a snake has worked its way into the apartment, but when she threw open the door it was none of that. It was _much worse_. 

He was curled up in the fetal position on the floor, tangled in his sheets, t-shirt clinging to him with sweat. It was hot but this amount was unnatural. The light from the living room casted onto his face and he was crying; no, he was sobbing uncontrollably. All the while he was mumbling Rey’s name, over and over again.

“I can’t… lose you again,” he whispered, so quiet Rey almost didn’t hear it.

Her eyes were already wide at him crying out her name, but that made them bulge out of her head. Why the hell was Ben afraid of losing her when he never had her in the first place?

She snapped out of her trance and sprang into action. Diving onto the floor next to him, she untangled him from the sheets and started shaking him awake. 

“Ben, you need to wake up, now!”

Ben continued crying, folding into himself further. He was stuck in a nightmare, and if Rey had any money, she would bet he was having visions in the same universe she was in. However, she never cried out like this; it was always a sudden wakeup call plagued by restlessness for the duration of the night. This was different; this was _pain_. 

_”Wake up!”_

Rey shoved him against the side of his bed, and he knocked his head into the table next to it. His eyes shot open and were glassed over with tears. His sheets were still clutched in her hands and they were soaked with his sweat. Ben’s entire body was still shaking with nervous energy and Rey leaned back, just in case he blew up at her for being in his space. 

“Hey, it’s okay, shh…” She put a hand on his shoulder to help him stop shaking, which worked, but he tensed up instead. He snapped his eyes to her, seeming to only notice her in the room now. His eyes steeled over and he began to stand up, Rey following. His gaze never left hers as he snatched back his sheets. 

“Ben, are you-”

Ben pointed to the door, now averting his eyes to the floor. “Get out, Rey.”

“You were-”

 _”Get. Out!”_ His voice escalated from tiny whispers to just shy of screaming as he backed Rey out of the room and slammed the door shut. 

Rey had only cried twice during the dig; once when she broke the piece of pottery, and another when she broke her favorite trowel against a piece of stone. She had remained strong through every insult or backlash her partner threw her, but it was too much to handle anymore.

She slid against the back of his door until her butt hit the ground and sobbed.

At this point she didn’t give a fuck if Ben heard her, let alone if any of the other tenants of the hostel heard her too. All the buildup to this dig, all the buildup to working with Dr. Ben Solo was for nothing. There wasn’t enough evidence and artifacts to back up her dissertation and she would lose her grant and her Ph.D all at once. None of this mattered to Ben however; this was just another dig for him, another couple of months to waste while he was sitting on a pile of cash. Rey barely had enough money for the flight to Cairo and hadn’t even began to think about the flight home. She needed to write an award-winning dissertation, or it was all for nothing.

 _Maybe it already is_. 

******  
It never rained in the desert. Here it was, day two of nonstop thunderstorms and Ben was about to jump out of his skin. Their dig site was protected by tarps thank goodness, but they were losing precious time to find anything, as it was extremely unsafe to even open the windows a crack. 

He hadn’t seen Rey at all. She took the bin of artifacts and the journal into her room and hadn’t come out since. Ben didn’t expect her to, especially after what happened just a few nights prior.

Ben knew he had to tell her what the nightmares were about but couldn’t figure out how. He couldn’t go up to her and say _“Hey, I know you were like basically the bane of my existence but I think we were in love in a past life and I think we should totally go back to that”_. So, he resorted to doing what he did best; be an absolute asshole. 

He didn’t deserve Rey in the slightest and knew that she would find it downright hilarious if Ben even proposed the idea of these dreams to her, let alone tell her that he began to like her romantically because of them. Ben couldn’t help it though; the dreams were too real and the most recent one he had to watch her be tortured by some tall alien. And he, Kylo Ren in the dreams, just _sat_ there and didn’t help her. It was excruciating to watch and apparently, his panic escaped him enough that Rey had heard him. 

Ben didn’t want to push her away, but there was no point when he liked her so much and she wanted nothing to do with him. He deserved it for how he treated her at the site and for the past week, but that side of Ben was gone. He would never get to run his hands through her hair and tell her how beautiful she was day after day until she grew tired of it (which she would never). All that was left was him, stupidly longing for Rey when he knew, deep down, he would just get rejected yet again by another beautiful girl out of his league. 

He’d rather live with not knowing what the outcome would be.  
******  
“You’re not alone.”

Rey was back in the hut on the island, soaking wet from another misadventure, she was certain. Ben was in front of her, but she knew he wasn’t physically there. They were having a Force connection, something she tried to resist at first but now welcomed it. Ben’s voice was low and soft in the warm hut as they sat across from each other, a fire stoking in between.

“Neither are you.” 

She never felt alone with Ben. Around Luke and the caretakers of the island, yes, but Ben brought a sense of peace and understanding when they had their Force connections. She felt _home_ with him.

“It isn’t too late.” Rey reached out her hand to him in the hopes of him joining her. 

This was a story Rey was able to piece together better than the one at her site. Ben was pulled so far into the dark that Rey was his only hope. But still, he was as stubborn as always; just when Rey thought she had him, Ben jumped right back to the dark. 

However, this time felt different. He took off his glove and reached out his hand. For once, she didn’t sense any negative energy. There was nothing, actually.

Just peace.

Rey had begun to separate this Ben from the Ben she knew, but this vision of him, this version, seemed so raw and true to who he was. She was confused enough with the whole experience, but feeling his warm hand under hers, the same one that tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, reminded her so much of her Ben. 

_Could it be the same one?_

The moment they touched hands everything began to disappear. The stone hut crumbled away, along with Ben’s warm touch, and Rey awoke to her curtains whipping around the window from the storm raging outside.

For once, she had a dream she didn’t want to wake up from.  
******  
Rey groaned at the clap of thunder rattling the window in her bedroom.

They were going on day three of storms and Rey was transitioning from impatient to nervous. Boredom had set in and she had read through her leisure books twice now. The internet went down on day two and there was no cell service, so she couldn’t even inform Columbia of the situation. Of course, they’d probably see the weather and assume, but it still gave her extreme anxiety.

Then there was the other issue: Ben. Hiding in her room seemed to work for the time being, but she couldn’t keep resorting to eating at three in the morning when she was certain he was asleep, and her stash of granola bars was running terribly low. On cue her stomach growled loudly; a curse of growing up hungry was a never-ending metabolism. It was only seven at night, so she would have to be quick about her sneaking. She peered out her keyhole to see if Ben was in the living room and made a break for the kitchen.

She grabbed two boxes of crackers and a few bottles of water and continued to search for anything else worth snacking on. Satisfied with her stock, she began to tiptoe back to her room, not noticing the figure coming from Ben’s room. 

“This is a common space, you know.”

Rey threw a box into the air and dropped a bottle on her foot. “Bloody hell, Ben, you scared me shitless.”

He shrugged, as if to say _not my fault_ and settled on the couch with his laptop. 

“I thought we didn’t have any Wi-Fi.”

“We don’t, I just have a few episodes of _House of Cards_ saved,” Ben said matter-of-factly.

 _Ugh, of course he would watch that_. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”

“You can come out here if you want.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Is it because of me or are you just being a bitch again?”

Rey was halfway to her room before she whipped herself around and faced Ben. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?”

“A ‘bitch’?” Rey asked, throwing up air quotes. “Since when have _I_ been bitchy? I’ve just been matching your energy because apparently you can’t barely stand to be in the same room as me.” 

“That’s not true.”

She was losing his attention fast. “Oh, it isn’t? Then why did you push me away the other night when all I wanted to do was help you?” 

He scoffed. “You were overreacting.” Ben began to put his air pods in when Rey reached over the coffee table and shut his laptop. 

“I don’t think I was overreacting when you screamed my name in your sleep.”

His whole face paled and Rey knew she had him now. Rey inched closer until she was a few inches away from his face, poking a finger into his chest. “Why the _fuck_ were you screaming for me in your nightmare?”

“It’s none of your fucking business Rey.” 

“I think it is when my name is in your mouth.” Rey was growing increasingly impatient now. She debated jumping out the window to escape the confrontation, but her need for answers outweighed that option. The fact that Ben kept darting around the answer added to Rey’s frustration and she was one more sarcastic comment away from completely losing it.

“Why do you hate me? What did I do to you?” she asked, calmly.

Ben’s head hung in between his legs. He lifted it to answer her but avoided her gaze. “You… you are literally everything I’ve wanted to become.”

Rey was not expecting that answer. She held her ground though, unsure of where this was going to go. “Elaborate.”

“You’re on track to being the youngest person to ever receive a Ph.D from Columbia and have an entire department backing your research. I know you’re worried about getting evidence but if this site turns out to be nothing special, they’ll find something else. Poe, Rose, and Finn… you have actual friends who give a shit about you. Hell, my old advisor is one of your best friends and he has refused to speak to me since I’ve graduated. You have it so fucking easy and you don’t even realize.”

That’s when she lost it.

“ _I_ have it easy? I have been working my ass off since day one to get to this point. Ben, I grew up _homeless_ and didn’t have a home until I was _bloody sixteen_! I applied to undergrad four times before they accepted me because one, I was international, and two, I had rotten grades because I spent my evenings working the night shift at Tesco. I only got a full ride to Columbia due to my circumstances. Finn took me in because while we didn’t have enough on our own, we could scrape by together. I had to ask Maz for help for the plane ride over here because I was ten dollars away from emptying my bank account.” She was stumbling over her words as tears streamed down her face, but Rey couldn’t stop the pent-up rage pouring out of her like a stopped-up waterfall. “You have had everything given to you on a silver fucking platter-”

“I have not-”

“Don’t talk to me like I don’t know. Your mom is a senator and you went to Harvard for undergrad. Those stupid button downs are those one-thousand thread counts that retail at three-hundred _each_ , which I don’t even know why you buy because they don’t do _anything_ to block out the sun from burning your stupid pale skin, but you buy them anyway! This shirt is from Goodwill! You… have stability; I never had that.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice to get her point across. “And… to say that I never worked for the position I’m in… you’ve sunk low. Very, _very_ very low.”

He stayed silent while Rey reached to turn her doorknob. She turned back to him; one last stab in the chest. “You’re a monster.”

She heard him stand up after that and felt the heat from his body. Rey looked up into his eyes, tears from his threatening to spill over. What he was crying over, Rey didn’t know. He was in turmoil, she could see that, but that wasn’t Rey’s problem, and never would be. He was an absolute dickhead and once the internet was back up, she was going to request Poe come a week early, so she didn’t have to deal with him directly for one more minute. The feelings she developed from the visions weren’t going to go away any time soon but having Poe around would help diminish them. 

She didn’t get a chance to ask him what he was crying over as he wiped a tear away from her cheek and spoke to her in a low voice, sending a chill over her entire body. 

“Yes I am.”

She shut the door in his face, heart pounding at the familiarity in his words. Rey hadn’t meant to call him that so harshly, but after everything he had thrown at her, it was the one word that summed him up. 

_Monster_. 

Rey had called him that in her dream. And what did Kylo respond?

 _Yes I am_.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. He knew, he was having the same _fucking_ dreams as her; why else would he agree to such a harsh statement? 

But before she could ask Ben, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I PROMISE THIS ENDS IN A HEA DON'T KILL ME. Also if you wanna know any archaeological lingo or anything from this chapter that needs clarifying let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Reylo Week everyone! I apologize for it being so late but I had my final capstone presentation last week where I presented my semester long research, so I didn't have much time to write. But here it is, and thank you guys again for the sweet comments, I'll be replying to them in the next few days <3

The first time she uttered Ben’s name in the dreams, Rey thought she was going insane.

She imagined it was her brain trying to connect these two evils in her life: her crotchety dig partner and this mass murderer who also happened to be the other half in her Force dyad. That’s why she ignored it during most of her visions; Rey could rationalize it enough to let it go.

Something was off about this one, however.

Rey could move at her volition this time, flexing her hands and kicking a leg out experimentally. Only then did she notice she was wearing her pajamas and not the scavenger getup she was slowly getting used to. She ran her fingers through her hair, not used to having it down; even in the field she preferred the three buns that kept her hair back when working. Her eyes began to adjust, and Rey found herself in a dark hallway, no doubt back on Kylo’s Star Destroyer. Her last dream had left off with her admitting to Ben _(Kylo? She never knew which one to call him)_ that she had always wanted to take his hand, and then fled off to find the emperor, who also happened to be her grandfather. While the Rey in the vision was shocked and felt sickened by this revelation, real Rey was unperturbed, like she just witnessed a really cheesy plot twist in a film. 

The fact that she was doing anything independently besides thinking told her this wasn’t her dream. 

She felt along the hallway, careful to avoid any holes in the walls from Kylo’s temper tantrums with his lightsaber until Rey reached what she remembered to be Ben’s bedroom from when they touched hands for the first time. This time, however, his sheets were thrown all over the floor and the servant droid was in pieces on the floor. There were no new lightsaber marks from the last time she was here, thank goodness, but the Darth Vadar mask was gone, the ashes of that left on his other Star Destroyer _(just how many of them does he need?)_. The desk was surprisingly intact, and so was the calligraphy set she pointed out during a Force Skype session (a new term she began to attach to these connections to make them less daunting), and next to it was the journal Rey had spent weeks obsessing over.

Rey had to grip the side of the desk to stay upright. As a scientist she had tried to justify everything she saw in her dreams and find a reasonable explanation for it. Up until this moment the journal hadn’t made a single appearance, and from this distance she could tell that it was unfinished, the pages still not bound together. Even her brain could not conjure that up; it was such a clear image of an incomplete find. 

She had known deep down that these weren’t dreams or visions at all; they were _memories_. 

It was just _sitting_ there, still opened to the first page, the calligraphy pen lying next to it ready to be used. Rey sucked in a breath as sat down in his chair, expecting to not understand any of it like usual. 

Rey almost forgot to breathe as the symbols came alive on the page.

Many of the people she came into contact in her visions spoke Basic, or English, but she also understood others, such as BB-8’s incessant beeping when piloting the Falcon. However, Rey was unable to comprehend any of the words she saw on buildings and in the Jedi texts. She’d read them, but only because her past self spoke it aloud. But now, the words jumped off of the pages, begging for her to read them.

Rey sat down at the chair, not giving a care about whether or not she was caught _(if she could be seen)_ , and started at the first page. It was the shortest entry, but the contents sent chills up Rey’s spine. 

_2 | 21 | 34 ABY_

_The scavenger resisted my advances using the Force. I will not let the temptation spread throughout me; meditation aids in my understanding of her abilities. She comes from darkness; Supreme leader had sensed it-_

Rey had heard this lecture five times over already from Kylo, so she skipped to the bottom to see if there was anything different and moved on once satisfied. The next few pages were more of the same thing: brooding, complaining, the _you’re nothing_ bullshit. Ten pages in and the entries began to extend to the bottom of the page, and the margins were filled up by the end. 

_11 | 3 | 34 ABY_

_The Supreme Leader is dead; I have everything I want. Satisfaction isn’t present; have I done something wrong? She won’t take my hand. I’ve offered her everything, but she won’t let go of her past. Once she discovers her true past, I’m afraid of the repercussions. This fear once fueled my hatred of the Resistance, but all I am left with is unadulterated panic. I recite the Sith code during meditation but lose my focus instantaneously._

_What is happening to me?_

_I know she’s having those visions, of us together on the throne. God, she’s beautiful by my side, but incredibly dangerous. If she knew her past, her true family, she would never be able to live with it. It’s a fate I don’t want for either of us._

Rey’s stomach started to sink, and her heartbeat sped up as she continued through the journal, flipping the pages over with shaky hands.

_1 | 31 | 35 ABY_

_He haunts my dreams. When I thrust my saber into him, I thought I would feel nothing. All I can picture is him, the touch of his hand, the only love I’ve experienced in years. Dad offered me a chance, and I killed him for it._

_I couldn’t fathom the possibility to even begin to seek redemption._

_That was, until her._

_I yearn for her hand in mine once again. Supreme Leader would block these thoughts but now they are coming at me like a dreadnought at lightspeed. The conflict is becoming apparent and I must fix my mask to prevent any doubt among my knights and General Hux._

_It’s been weeks since she let me in. She only grows in strength but has blocked me out completely. I…._

_I miss her._

He signed the journal, for the first time, as Ben Solo that day. _I miss her_ ; she was certain her heart was beating loud enough for anyone in a one-hundred mile radius to hear. Rey skimmed through the rest, having the desire to read all of them (especially the ones about her), but wanting to get out the most important information for these journal entries. She kept flipping until she saw her name again.

_4 | 14 | 35 ABY_

_Rey let down her guard for the first time in months last night, but not at her own will. Her hair was down, those small but powerful hands curled around her lightsaber. I can’t picture her surroundings, but she is all I want to see anyway. So peaceful when asleep; resisting the temptation to touch her was damn near impossible. Her lips curved into a smile while I watched, and I wonder if it was because of me._

_In another life, I think I could’ve loved her._

_Loved_.

Rey shook her head at the insane thought of Ben Solo _loving_ her. He was a masterpiece created by the hands of an artist, and she was a four-year old’s preschool project. Not to mention that, up until recently, Rey had found him to be completely psychotic. But the way he took care into writing her name and composing these entries about her made the idea not seem as far-fetched. 

Rey couldn’t remember the last time someone told her that they loved her. Finn didn’t count, of course, since they were family, but the last time someone said it on their own volition, simply because they _adored her_? She could date artifacts, no problem, but other people? That was not her strong suit. It didn’t help that most of the people in her life that claimed to love her left her. The only constant she had was archaeology and Finn. She only said those words to him; she couldn’t even bring herself to tell Rose or Poe that, though she expressed it in her actions and gestures.

Ben was a dick, that was certain. But, underneath it all, he had shown her more kindness than any of her past dig partners. He always came to her first with anything that could be useful, made sure she was included during briefings before the day began, and showed her that she was using the trowel all wrong, but in the nicest way possible. The past few days had been forgiven already from the acts of love written in this journal, and Rey’s heart swelled at the feelings she had been oppressing for weeks.

 _I think I could love him_ she thought, tears pricking at her eyes at the thought. Her heart betrayed her for a moment, whispering _what if he doesn’t remember?_ , but she would allow herself this moment of joy, this one second of pure happiness that, in another lifetime, she was loved. 

Rey turned her to the last page of the journal, eyes quickly drying when she saw it was blank. She could remember vividly that while the last page was one of the shorter ones, and easily was the most chaotic she had seen his handwriting yet. Normally, he curved his lines so beautifully together to create a symphony on the page, bringing his words to life in way no one else could. 

But all that remained on this page was empty space.

Rey heard the click of a door come from the hallway and began to panic, searching for a hiding spot. She dived behind the bed, covering herself with Ben’s blankets. Even the smells in her dreams were vivid, the sheets scented musky with undertones of citrus. They smelled just like him and Rey pushed away the urge to wrap herself in the sheets and fall asleep, the feeling of security lulling her to sleep.

Rey peeked out from the side of the bed and watched Ben enter his bedroom, taking no notice to the bundle of sheets shaking on the floor. He shrugged off his cape and look at the vest overtop his clothes, seeming to debate whether or not to keep it on, then literally _ripped_ it off his chest, leaving a thin black sweater underneath. Rey noticed the scar on his face was gone, but the hole in his sweater from when she stabbed him remained. His lightsaber was nowhere to be found, and Rey’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that he casted away the darkness. Ben crossed the room to the desk, where he frantically wrote the last page of the journal, fixed the bindings on the sides, and ran out of the room, not even bothering to put the cap back on his calligraphy pen.

As soon as Rey deemed it safe, she threw the blankets off and rushed to the desk, flipping furiously to find the last page. There is was, the last entry; just two lines of writing, his name signed at the bottom. Rey wasn’t sure what to expect as she ran a finger along his signature, soaking up the last words Ben wrote in this journal.

_7 | 3 | 35 ABY_

_She’s a stubborn woman, and a foolish one, but so, so beautiful._

_Force, I love her. I’m coming, sweetheart._

_Ben Solo_

_Sweetheart_.

He _loved_ her.

Rey couldn’t wait to read the rest of what he had written for her when she woke up.

She barely had enough time to process what just occurred before she shot up in her bed in the hostel, window wide open, the journal about to fly out of it and into the dark night.

*****

Ben woke to the sound of Rey screaming, flinging his thin sheets to the side. By the time he got the door open he witnessed Rey sprinting across the apartment to the front door, still in her pajamas and wearing no shoes, hurling the door open and continuing out.

He checked his watch for the time, seeing it was still early in the morning, and yelled after her. “Rey, what’s going on?”

Ben got no response and rolled his eyes, throwing on his slides and running after her. The innkeeper at the desk pointed towards the set of double doors sitting wide open and Ben waved a quick thanks before walking out into the storm.

The torrential downpour and thunderstorms had subsided during the previous day, but the town was now caught in full-fledged sandstorm, the winds even causing Ben to stumble around. He brought the collar of his shirt up over his mouth as he scanned the horizon for Rey.

“Rey!” He stepped further into the storm, shoes sinking into the sand. _”Rey!_ How stupid could she be to go out into a storm like this? She knew the dangers, not to mention that quicksand would be present directly after a heavy rain. Whatever brought her out here was beyond important; it was crucial she retrieve it.

He cursed himself for forgetting his flashlight in the room and turned back around to ask the innkeeper for one when he spotted Rey near the epicenter of the storm. She wasn’t looking in one particular direction, whatever she ran out here for long gone. However, she couldn’t move from that spot, and Ben feared the worst. 

“Rey!” Ben hurried over to where she stood planted and shook her out of her daze. “What the hell are you doing out here?!”

Rey looked at him, face streaked with tears and reddened by the sand blowing against her face. “The journal… blew out my window-”

“Fuck the journal, this isn’t safe.” He yanked on her arm to guide her back to the hostel, but she couldn’t seem to move, fixated on the storm moving closer by the second. 

_Fine, I’ll do it myself_. Ben scooped Rey up into his arms, ignoring her screams of terror and annoyance, and braced himself against the wind enough to get back inside the hostel. The innkeeper shut the doors behind them and gestured towards Rey slung over his shoulder, pounding on his back and screeching to put her down.

“Sleepwalker,” he said, shrugging as best as he could at the innkeeper.

Even when they were inside, he didn’t let go until they were back up in the room, depositing her on the couch. As soon as he let his grip on her fade, she was already trying to run back outside, but Ben had locked the door with her still in his arms. Ben looked at her straight in the eye, took the room key out of his pocket, and threw it into the cactus pot on the island. She huffed at that and leaned back, fixing the strap on her tank top.

Ben ran his hand through his hair and gripped it, trying to steady his voice. “You ran out into the middle of a fucking sandstorm for a stupid journal?”

“It’s not just an ordinary journal, and you know that!” She was already riled up from being outside, but there something underlining all of that, and Ben took a gentler approach to his next question.

“Why is it not ordinary? I thought we agreed that it was-”

“Planted by looters, yeah, I remember, but… these dreams…” she trailed off.

 _Dreams_. Ben’s felt his head begin to spin at her words. He wouldn’t let himself imagine that she was experiencing these dreams too; after she called him a monster, he entertained the idea, but it was so insane he squashed it instantly.

He chose his next words carefully. “What… happened in these dreams?”

She scoffed. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

Ben sat next to Rey on the couch, draping an arm comfortingly around her shoulder. “Try me.”

Her eyes lifted to look into his, and she opened her mouth to speak before softly laughing. “I’d rather not.” When he stayed silent, Rey put her head in her hands, and Ben heard her sniffle softly. “I never got to finish reading them. They were beautiful, and kind, and…” She wiped away a tear, turning her face away to the windows shaking from the storm. “It’s nothing.”

Ben couldn’t keep it to himself anymore, and even if Rey wasn’t experiencing the same memories as him, he didn’t care anymore. He was hopelessly in love with her; all the pent-up feelings from their previous lives crashed over him like a tidal wave. He had accepted a while ago that all of this was possible, and that there was a world where him and Rey could be together; that place was here, slapping him in the face to get his act together. He took a deep breath, gently turning Rey’s head with a finger on her chin, stroking her cheek softly. The words were out of his mouth before he could think twice about it. 

“I can write you more, Rey.” 

Her eyes widened, mouth slightly parting, as she soaked in what he admitted. Ben had prepared for rejection early on, but he couldn’t see what Rey was thinking behind her shocked expression. It was causing him equal parts anxiety and excitement; he resisted the urge to run back out into the storm to escape the embarrassment.

“Ben?”

He practically melted at his name coming from her mouth without any presence of the sarcasm or anger that it usually had. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Or would you prefer Kylo Ren?”

Ben’s face physically hurt from how wide he was smiling and didn’t hesitate in yanking her body to him, crushing her small frame in his arms. He felt moisture on his shoulder from her, and knew he was leaving some tears in her tangled hair but feeling her warm body against his and knowing that she remembered him made him forget everything that ever wronged him. She _remembered_.

He ran his fingers though her hair, reveling in the way it felt between his fingers. She wrapped her legs around his waist with a death grip, her little frame shaking with sobs. He soothed her as best as he could. Ben just couldn’t believe the fate he had received; his life had been filled with such bad luck, but after experiencing the misfortune his past self had dealt with, he would never take another day for granted, especially if it meant spending his days with this gorgeous woman in his arms.

She leaned back slightly, eyes red and lips plastered in a stupidly huge smile. “I can’t believe you remember.”

“Of course I do, Rey. I said I would always come back for you, sweetheart.” Ben wanted to kiss her so, _so_ badly, but he wasn’t certain how much she had experienced. But, by the way she was gazing into his eyes with such intensity told him that she felt the same about him and had remembered enough to rekindle the feelings.

“What happens to us? I saw you write that last entry, and then I woke up.” 

Ben’s heart sank slightly at having to tell her she died fighting her grandfather, and Ben sacrificed himself to bring her back. Rey lived a life of never-ending torment after that, obsessed with finding a way to bring him back, and died on a sand planet, completely alone. All Ben could do was watch as a ghost, not being able to interfere in any way. He figured it was a punishment from the Force for being able to become a ghost but not interact with the real world anymore for the crimes he committed when he was Kylo Ren. Ben didn’t want to break that to Rey, not just yet. She was already under so much pressure and was overwhelmed from this revelation, and Ben had other plans for the night that involved a lot of destressing, if she would have it.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” His tongue darted out to lick his lips, feeling suddenly parched. 

Rey’s face fell slightly, her lips pouting at him. “But-”

He didn’t give her another second before grasping the back of her head and bringing her lips to his. They were just as soft as he imagined them to be, and he felt her smiling against his. He was already a goner the moment they touched, but when she darted out her tongue to move against his, he was dead, buried in the ground, and could only be resurrected by her. 

She ran her hands through his hair, a feeling he was craving deeply ever since he met her. She was so gentle and soft with him, something he never had in a relationship before. Everyone had always been sharp edges and blunt ends, but Rey had this ethereal glow to her, a subdued brightness that made Ben feel like he was drinking in a sunset. If he didn’t love her before this moment, then he didn’t know what love was. She was _perfect_.

Their kisses were slow and wet, both of them incredibly inexperienced, but once they found their rhythm, Ben felt Rey’s teeth graze along his bottom lip and the grip of her hand in his hair get rougher. She started to become bolder, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and controlling the tempo. The moment she started grinding on his lap he let out a moan against her lips, trailing his kisses down to her neck. 

“Ben…”

“What do you want, sweetheart?” he mumbled against her neck, tenderly sucking the spot underneath her earlobe that made her entire body tremble. 

“You.”

*****

Rey was shaking nervously the moment Ben peeled her tank top off but felt electrified at the way Ben looked at her with hunger in his eyes. She shouldn’t be nervous; this was her _Ben_ , the other half of her dyad, her dig partner, _all hers_. It had been so long since she kissed someone, let alone be intimate with anyone. But the way Ben was looking at her breasts greedily sent a chill of confidence down her spine.

“Stop staring and do something about them.”

“Oh, I’m planning to do a lot more than stare, sweetheart.”

Rey rolled her eyes, watching Ben crawling on top of her to kiss her, being so gentle with her small frame. He was so warm and the feel of his arms around hers was a sensation Rey never wanted to escape. It was still frightening to her that in a span of an hour they had discovered past feelings for one another, but knowing she was loved in this life, and the past, gave her all the passion to keep going.

Ben was silent through his ministrations on her chest, letting Rey’s soft mewls fill the empty space. She should have felt embarrassed, but instead was empowered by how good she felt with his lips on her neck, fingers brushing up against her hardened nipple. 

“You are… so _fucking_ stunning,” he breathed out.   
“You’re… cute too,” Rey said, pushing Ben’s hair out of his eyes to look at him better.

He chuckled under his breath, untying her shorts. “Glad to see the awkwardness carried over, too.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

She grabbed his shirt and slammed her lips against his, sliding a hand over top his flannel pajama bottoms and palming at his hard length. He ground his hips into her cunt and Rey felt her pants be yanked down her legs, the fan on Ben’s nightstand sending a chill down her body. Ben couldn’t seem to keep his hands in one place for very long; they trailed up and down her body, giving her ass a playful squeeze here and there before finally dipping into her wet folds.

They both gasped, his fingers circling her clit slowly before dipping into her cunt. “You’re so wet for me.”

“Surprised?”

“Always, with you. You never cease to amaze me, sweetheart.” 

Her back arched as he started pumping his fingers into her, the pleasure building with every second. He stopped short of her coming, Rey letting out an annoyed sigh. He sat up and removed his bottoms, kissing her with such intensity she thought she would disappear into the mattress.

“Are you sure, Rey?” Ben asked, lining himself up at her entrance.

“If you don’t hurry up and get inside me, I’m going to nerf you into space.”

“Rey, I don’t have a-”

“I’m on the pill. Just-”

She swore the world stopped moving the moment he buried his length into her. It felt so _right_ , like he belonged inside of her and nowhere else. As he started thrusting into her, she was already so close that whenever he hit that spot deep inside her she let out a cry. 

“I… won’t last long Rey,” Ben gritted out, moving his hand down to rub at her swollen clit. His movements became haphazard as Rey felt the tightening pressure in her lower belly.

“Ben…” she screamed out, coming on his cock. He took her moans as motivation and thrusted into her faster. Their moans intermingled together to create a filthy symphony in the small bedroom. Her hands curled into the sheets as Ben groaned in her ear, still feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm. Ben’s release soon followed, and he collapsed on top of her, breathing in sync with her.

Her tears had subsided during their lovemaking, but now she felt tears spilling over her eyelids. Ben immediately sat up and started wiping them away.

“What’s wrong?”

Rey sobbed even harder, taking Ben’s genuine concern to heart. “I never… thought it could happen. I thought they would just remain dreams.”

“Me too,” Ben admitted. He finally slid out of her and took her up in his arms, his eyes glazed over with tears of his own. “I was such a dick last week; I was trying to forget about them, forget about _you_.” He sighed, framing her face with his stupidly large hands. She would never get used to the way he touched her, she realized. “I don’t think the Force will allow that.”

“Gods, no. Also, Palpatine’s my grandfather? What the fuck?”

“Right? In my head I was screeching. I hate that I couldn’t talk in my dreams; I was stuck there on that weird ass storm planet all alone and this dude in a tank was the one torturing me for years and-”

“Ben, it’s okay. We’re safe now.” She brushed a thumb across his cheek and gave him a light kiss. 

This was that feeling she was craving after so many years of abandonment and heartbreak: security. Being with Ben felt like coming back to something so familiar yet so foreign.

It felt like coming _home_.

“You’re not alone,” she whispered, feeling herself sink in deeper into Ben’s chest. He pulled the thin cover over the both of them before ghosting a kiss on her forehead.

“Neither are you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I say anything else, QUICKSAND IS A MYTH. In reality, you would "swim", not be submerged entirely. *rant over*
> 
> This chapter was so difficult to write because I wanted to get their recognition of one another perfect, and I hope you guys liked it! I've been itching to write this chapter but only wanted to do it if I did it well. I can't word, oh well. But THEY REMEMBER EACH OTHER!!! I love this version of Ben and Rey so much just ahhhhh. Also, I apologize for how long it took me to put this out because my brain short-circuited right before the sex scene and I literally wrote it while watching TLJ on repeat because I just can’t LOOK AT MY OWN WRITING. 
> 
> I also upped the chapter count, whoops.
> 
> But again, thank you guy so, so much for everything. I love this story so much and it means so much to me being an archaeologist and a Reylo. Sending love to your corner of the galaxy <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating! But I promise that this chapter is worth the wait :)
> 
> Also, I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bewithmereylo) now!

The light cutting through the cheap blinds woke up Ben from his sleep, a stark contrast to the darkness from the previous days. He moved to check the time on his alarm clock when he became _very_ aware of the sleeping figure in his arms. 

Ben attempted to not squirm as much as possible so he could simply take all of her in. She was still dead asleep, tiny snores emitting from her gaping mouth. Her arms were locked around his abs and a leg swung around his waist, keeping an iron grip on his body even in her sleep. Ben took the arm not tucked under her and pushed some hair out of her face to look at her better. He studied each freckle, each beauty mark, on her face, something he wasn’t able to do last night in the dark. The harsh lines on her forehead were gone, and Ben couldn’t help but run a finger down her cheek, tracing her jawline gently so as to not wake her. 

Sadly, he foiled his own plan as she shifted in his arms, yawning loudly against his chest. Ben expected her to panic, to wonder why the hell she’s in his bed, completely naked, but all she did was look up at him with her beautiful hazel eyes, smiling with her whole face.

“You’re still here.”

Ben had to laugh at her dumbstruck expression. “Can’t exactly move when you’re lying on top of me. You’re kinda heavy.” 

She swatted at his chest and stretched, peeking out of the window above the bed. “No more storms.”

The sunlight was a pleasant surprise after the last few days were plagued by endless storms. It illuminated the room and Ben reveled in the warmth that it gave. “Maybe the Force is happy with us, now.”

She snorted at his comment, then immediately covered her face, shying away from his body. “Oh god, that was gross, I’m-”

Ben silenced her with a kiss, slowly dragging it out till they were both breathless. “Adorable. You may not think that, but now that I have you again, I will _never_ stop reminding you.”

Her skin turned scarlet along her chest and Ben felt himself blush as well. He watched her peek over at the alarm clock on the bedside table and fell back against his chest, sighing. “We should get ready. The workers will be itching to get back.”

Ben could sense the reluctance in her voice and threw his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. “Or…” His semi-hard cock made contact with her ass and he started grinding against it. “…we could just stay here for a little while longer.”

“Ben…” she sighed out, gently pushing against his hard length playfully. 

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Rey turned and pushed Ben back onto the bed, keeping him trapped underneath her. “I’m really behind on research, and I’d appreciate your help for once today.”

“I’d rather study you.” His smirk was audible in his tone as he gripped her hips, urging her to move on top of him. 

“Oh, god, is that your attempt at flirting? Because it’s rather sad.” 

A low chuckle rumbled through Ben as he slid his hand between her legs, teasing softly at her clit. He shuddered at her reaction, soft moans emanating from her downturned mouth. “You’re so _wet_ ; I must be doing something right.”

“I think… you were right…” Rey gasped out, rocking against his fingers and tightening hers in Ben’s hair.

“About what, exactly?”

“That you don’t… translate well onto _oh fuck_ , paper…”

“Why do you think that, sweetheart?”

Ben knew Rey was strong from watching her muscles work at the site, but when she grabbed his shoulders and whipped them around, so she was underneath them, it took his breath away. His head was yanked down to her shoulder and he wasted no time in marking her neck up, continuing his ministrations against her clit, feeling her squirm beneath him. 

“Because every time you open that goddamn mouth of yours… I want to shut you up.” 

He sucked in a breath as she grabbed his cock and lined him up at her opening. That, effectively, rendered him silent. He wasn’t even inside of her and he was already close to exploding. When he opened his eyes again, Rey was looking up at him with such intensity, all evidence of pure lust gone, replaced by something much darker. A smile was threatening to break from her lips as he began to push himself in-

 _Knock, knock_ …

“You have to be fucking joking,” Rey said, exasperated.

Ben shook his head and bent to kiss Rey on the cheek, thrusting into her gently. “They’ll go away eventually-”

 _Knock, knock, knock_ …

“Fuck!” Ben reluctantly slid out of Rey and wrapped the top sheet around his waist. He left the bedroom door open as he walked to the front door, throwing it open to find whoever was interrupting them. “What do you-”

“Yo, Ben, nice dress! The plane lost your clothes, too?” Ben’s mouth grew dry when he saw Rey’s dig partner Poe on the other side of the door, carrying a thick tote over his shoulder, sunglasses pushing the dark curls away from his eyes. Ben had met Poe a few times at past AAA conferences, but not enough to know anything in particular about him. Ben started to feel panicked at the sight, now only being able to see Poe Dameron, pilot of the Resistance, the one he tortured for hours just to find the location of Luke Skywalker, which never even mattered in the end. Of course, Poe didn’t remember, but Ben felt bile rise in his throat just from the sheer thought of Poe figuring out what he’s done not only to him, but to the rest of his friends.

_You are not Kylo…_

“Uh, Ben, everything okay? You look a little-”

“Is that Poe I hear?!” 

While Ben was gawking at Poe in the doorway, she had made an appearance, wearing Ben’s shirt from the night before, pants completely unnecessary. She was practically swimming in it, and Ben felt his heart beat faster at the sight of her wearing his clothes. Rey completely bypassed Ben and leapt at Poe, almost knocking him over. 

“Oh my god, you weren’t supposed to be here until next week!” Once Poe put her down, she retreated back towards Ben, wrapping her small arms around his waist. 

“Columbia saw the weather situation and figured you’d need an extra hand. Took the first flight out last night, hence why my luggage has yet to arrive.” Poe only then finally noticed the situation at hand and cleared his throat. “I, uh, I’ll meet you guys at the dig site, since, uh-”

“Sounds good, Poe! We’ll be there in an hour,” Rey interrupted, waving to Poe from behind Ben before reaching around to kick the door close. As soon as it latched, she immediately ripped away the sheet from Ben’s waist and kissed him hungrily, dragging him back to the bedroom.

“I thought-” he began to say while being pushed onto the bed. Rey crawled over him and lined her entrance up with his cock and slid herself down onto his length, letting out a groan of satisfaction.

“You talk too much.”

*****

The dig site was worse than Rey could have ever imagined.

The tarps did close to nothing to protect the exposed units; over half of them were filled in with sand and the base camp tent was under two feet of sand. Thankfully, most of the tarps were still there, thanks to the heavy weights Rey insisted on purchasing instead of using a stack of rocks. But the stone structure that they had only began to uncover was now buried once again. It was a wreck and would take weeks to fix, and Rey felt tears prick at her eyes at the thought.

Rey felt Ben come up behind her and rub her shoulder affectionately, sensing her frustration at the state of the site. As much as she appreciated it, nothing would make up for the setback she would be suffering from when her thesis was due, and she had nothing to write about.

He spun her around gently and tipped her head up, forcing her to look at him straight in the eyes. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“But… the entire dig-”

“-is going to be just fine. Poe’s here; I’m here.” How quickly Ben could calm her down shocked her; even Ben’s face relaxed once the tenseness in her shoulders disappeared. “Let’s get to work, sweetheart.”

“Okay.” She stood up on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his cheek before setting up the base camp tent once again. 

When she turned around to direct the workers to their squares, they all looked at her with humor in their eyes. Rey blushed as she realized why, her public show of affection the first (and most certainly not the last) they would see. The workers took her raised eyebrow as a sign and began to work on the squares, attempting to rid them of debris and sand they worked so hard to remove over the last few weeks.

By lunch time, they had made considerable progress. Rey’s anxiety was minimized as each square was cleared away and the workers could resume their digging in them. Poe was a great motivator and had even brought a speaker out to the site, taking requests and playing his own music in between. From her spot in the base camp tent, she could see Ben bobbing his head gently to a song by Muse, lips that claimed hers just hours before whispering the lyrics to himself. The will to bring herself over to him just to be close to him was strong, but they had a lifetime together now. Rey was seeing the world through a new set of eyes, feeling so much more grateful for the life she was given, even if she had been struggling. It also amazed her how similar everything was to her life on Jakku and hers now; yet, she still felt incredibly detached from the past version of herself. Rey felt… inadequate to the badass woman she saw in her dreams; hell, she couldn’t even use a trowel properly, according to her asshole of a boyfriend.

 _Are we dating?_ she thought. Had they reached that point yet? Rey hoped so.

“Water?”

Ben’s voice startled her as he held a bottle out for her. She took it and drank almost the entire bottle, only now noticing just how thirsty she was. “Thanks.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” He watched her down the rest of the bottle in one gulp, brushing some sand off of his pants. Once she closed the lid, Ben held out his hand to her. “Walk with me?”

Anxiety came over her for a sudden moment before being shut down by the feeling of Ben’s hand in hers. They skirted along the edge of the site until they were out of earshot of most of the workers. Poe took the hint and turned the radio up a few notches so whatever Ben had to say would be drowned out.

“Is something wrong?” Rey asked, stepping away from him. He let her hand go, but not before Rey could feel his entire body shaking with nervousness. The wind blew his hair in front of his face, not allowing Rey to see the emotions crossing his face. She, too, grew more nervous as he just _stood there_ , breathing heavily.

“You asked me what happens to us in the end.”

The wind began to pick up more at his words. She held up a hand to shield herself from the blowing sand as he continued, stepping back slightly at the intensity.

“…it’s been eating at me all day, I couldn’t wait any longer.” The trembles she felt in his hand were visible now as he clenched them into fists. That was one thing she found most attractive about her dig partner: how steady he could be, how he could easily calm himself in any situation. But now, he looked fit to spontaneously combust. 

“I died.”

*****

As soon as Ben said the words, he immediately regretted it. He should have built up to it by explaining the battle of Exegol, or maybe stated how he saved her before fading into the force himself. Hell, he completely omitted the part where _she_ died, too. Ben was so on edge by how she would react that he went with the most blunt answer possible.

What he expected was for her to run away from him, or run _to_ him, just to react in some way. What he didn’t expect was complete and utter silence. Rey’s face twisted into something that resembled confusion before her bottom lip trembled, tears falling down under her sunglasses.

“What?”

“Rey-”

“Is that going to happen again? Are you going to leave me again?” He could hear her voice growing garbled as sobs rose in her throat. A tentative step back, followed by another. She was growing dangerously close to the edge of a dune; a few more inches and Rey would be going down the side. 

The wind howled in his ear as he reached for her, holding out his hand one last time. “Rey, please!”

It all happened in slow motion. His movement made her jump and Rey lost her footing in the sand, tipping backwards over the dune. Her sunglasses fell off her face, the eyes of a terrified girl piercing straight into his. Ben watched her fall down over the edge and into an infinite sea of sand, her strangled screams echoing in the sky. 

*****

She had never been so cold in her life. Rey had been surrounded by sand most of her life, but had experienced weather of all varieties since she left Jakku. But nothing could prepare her for the bitter cold coursing through her veins, leaving her feeling frozen. 

Rey opened her eyes slowly, seeing the black night sky above her. She could barely move, pain shooting up her side and through her head when she turned slightly to gauge her surroundings. To her left she could see triangular doorways scattered in the distance, her right one of these doorways that she appeared to have come from. White-lined pathways soared above her, leading to more doorways. Voices of the Jedi whispered in her ear, just as they did moments ago when she killed her grandfather. 

Pulling some strength from the Force, Rey rose into a sitting position, taking the site of everything in. She recognized this place from the Jedi Texts; it was one that even Luke didn’t think existed.

 _The World Between Worlds_.

“Precisely.”

Luke’s voice started Rey and reached for her saber. They were both gone, still on Exegol, along with...

 _Ben_.

“Is he alright? Ben?” The line between Egyptologist Rey and Jedi Rey was completely blurred; she spoke freely, addressing her former master with the utmost concern. 

He was just a few feet from her, regarding the doorway she came from with interest. His robes dragged behind him slightly as he approached Rey, kneeling down to sit beside her. Amusement at her question came from the way his lips turned up slightly, scoffing and looking away. “Why do you always ask the questions you already know the answer to?”

Rey relaxed slightly, tensing up at the stabbing pain coming from her side. The blood on her shirt was dried, but she could sense that whatever injuries she suffered from were mostly internal. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“I’m not repeating myself, Rey.”

Rey snorted, trailing a finger in the liquid beneath her body. When she pulled her hand away it wasn’t wet, another aspect that made all of this even more confusing. The voices grew quieter as she sat with Luke in silence, attempting to piece together a coherent thought.

“Master Skywalker, how are _you_ here?”

“When you and Ben came together, the sheer power of your dyad blurred the veil between our worlds, making this place much easier to access. I didn’t think this place existed, so when the door opened, I went through. As for why you’re here…” he trailed off, patting Rey on the shoulder before standing up. 

“What do you mean?”

“Your story is not over, Rey.”

“But what about Ben’s? Does he live?” Desperation laced her pleas, hands grasping at her ruined tunic. “I can’t live without him.”

“I know you can’t, Rey. Cursed dyads.” His back was turned to her now, head hanging. “He doesn’t, Rey. That’s why I’m here; when he comes through, I will be waiting for him. Leia’s here, too, but she’s with Han...” 

It was just noise to her at this point. _He doesn’t live_... They could share their life force, just as she had given some of hers to him on the ruins of the Death Star, they could make it, Rey wouldn’t die alone-

“Rey.” Luke was facing her now, his eyes clouded over with tears. “Give him love, give him _safety_ in those last moments.”

She didn’t even protest at that word: _love_. Rey knew she loved him, unconditionally and wholly. The two had been dancing around the idea, but when he came all the way to Exegol without a wayfinder, without any coordinates, it solidified her feelings. After all this time, she finally finds someone to love her to keep her safe, to give her that security she had wanted for all these years…

Only for it to all be ripped away.

Her hands started to become transparent, meaning her time in the World Between Worlds was coming to an end. Rey didn’t want to go back; it meant that the clock was ticking down to Ben’s demise, the beginning of the end. “Wait, Master Skywalk-”

Luke raises a hand to silence her. Her feet have completely disappeared. “There is no need to panic. You will find him again. Not in this life, but in another. I leave you with that.” 

His smirk in the last thing she sees before fading back into the doorway she came from. Her panic of knowing what will happen to Ben diminishes, knowing that she will get her time with him, even if she must wait.

She knows all about waiting, after all.

*****

A scream claws its way out of Ben’s mouth as he watched Rey tumble down the dune, landing at the bottom. Her body curled in on itself, face hidden in the curve of her body. Ben couldn’t see if she was awake; hell, he wasn’t even sure she was alive for how far she fell.

“Rey!” She was passed out at the least, since she didn’t react to Ben. Ben finally regained control of his feet and sprinted towards the dig site, screaming to Poe and the workers.

“Ben, what the hell-”

“Rey, she fell-”

“Fell? Where?” Poe immediately threw his trowel into the square he was working on and turned his attention to Ben. “Need me to get the rope?”

“Anything, please, she’s passed out.” He prayed she was just asleep; there was nothing to bash her head on, but a mouthful of sand could go down her throat and choke her. Ben’s head ran wild with thoughts and scenarios and Poe couldn’t grab the rope fast enough.

The two, followed by a few of the workers, ran to where Rey was still lying, almost three stories down in the pit. Poe wasted no time in tying the rope around Ben’s torso, fashioning a harness so the weight was evenly distributed. 

“You sure you’re okay to-”

“Send me down, now.”

 _I’m coming, sweetheart_.

*****

Rey felt Ben’s hand fade between hers and the sweater he was wearing sink onto the ground as he disappeared from this world. She felt sad, frustrated, in despair that her other half was gone. Her heart felt empty, sobs stuck in her throat as she tried to calm herself down; she held onto hope. Rey remembered Master Luke’s words as she clutched the sweater close, soaking in the last of warmth radiating from the torn and dirtied fabric.

 _No one’s ever really gone_.

*****

“Wake up, Rey, please wake up!”

Ben was shaking her shoulder violently when Rey came to. Her sunglasses were discarded somewhere in the sand and the sun practically blinded her when she peered up at Ben. 

His face was red with tears and from the sand blowing against his face. He had her arms around her and a hand pressed gently to her torso, a feeling all too familiar. Terror hit her like a brick and she grabbed Ben, bringing her flush up against her body. She knew that he wasn’t going to leave her, but the thought was hard to push away when she had just watched him disappear before her eyes.

“You… you know,” he said, leaning back to look at her face, pushing the hair that escaped her top knot out of her face.

Rey nodded, reveling in the feeling of him on her fingertips: solid, warm, _alive_. “I understand why you didn’t want to tell me. It’s… horrible. But I’m here, you’re here, and we have more than enough time to make up for what we lost.”

“Forever isn’t enough for me.” He captured her lips in a swift kiss, smiling into his mouth and running her hands through his hair. She would never, _ever_ take any of this for granted.

“Hey, lovebirds! Ready to come up?”

Rey flipped Poe off as Ben slipped his tongue in, sending all of the blood in her head straight to between her thighs. Neither of them could think clearly with the emotions running through them. It felt too magical almost, that they were both _this fucking lucky_ , but she stopped questioning most things when she saw a glowing sword that could cut through a tree trunk like butter.

Rey whined when Ben reluctantly pulled away, starting to unravel the rope harness. “You go up first. Can you stand?”

She nodded and began to stand when she caught something gleaming in the corner of her eye. It was a darker color than the sand, and Rey suspected at first that it was her sunglasses, but the color was too dark, the object too large. She walked towards it, and let out a yelp when she realized what it was. 

“Ben! Come look!” Rey bent down and Ben joined her momentarily, toying with the object in the sand. It had a dull golden sheen to it, and while only the corner was visible, Rey could easily tell that the object was much, much larger. 

If she was lucky, Rey has just found the bottom end of a Egyptian statue.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“It’s _exactly_ what you think it is.” Rey turned her attention back up to Poe and the workers watching the scene below. “I think you guys should come down instead!”

Poe waved her off and the two watched him run from the precipice, most likely going to get more ropes and supplies.

Rey was beaming with pride; her dissertation was saved. This artifact alone would be more than enough to write an obscene amount of words about; if there was more hiding nearby, she was looking at an award-winning paper. She was going to succeed, have a future in her field, and maybe even land a job as a professor at Columbia.

Best of all, Ben would be by her side through all of it.

The look he was giving her was full of unadulterated devotion; they were in this together, until the end, when they were older than they ever wanted to get and could watch their kids, grandkids, maybe even great-grandkids grow with them. Rey could see their entire future, only the vague shape of it, but solid and clear. Tears pricked at her eyes, heart swelling with endearment.

“I love you.”

It was too soon, she knew it, but in that moment, it never felt more right. She didn’t expect him to say it back right away, always thinking that, if they ever did date, he would be the one to admit it first. But, with the way he was staring at her, the way he bared his soul to her through those beautiful journal entries, was answer enough for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How accurate is falling down a sandy dune? No idea ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Storms/shitty weather can put off the progress of digs for weeks or even months. Digs are also seasonal based, so if a storm puts off the dig for even a week, it can completely screw up the plan for the rest of the year. It sucks ass, especially in countries with rainy seasons. When I did my dig we got lucky with the weather, but some days our tarps didn't hold up and we would have to scoop water out of our squares before we could even think of continuing the dig. 
> 
> I did as much research as I could on the WBW, so whatever I got from Wookiepedia is what I used (aka if it's not accurate, not my fault ksljdljs). I have been _dreaming_ for a glimpse at what happened to Rey after she died on Exegol, and it made sense to me that she'd be stuck in the WBW for the time being since she didn't disappear like the Jedi do.
> 
> All we have left is the epilogue! I love these smart idiots so so much and will be so sad to see them go :( 
> 
> Again, thank you guys for your patience and love for this story <3


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS. The response to the last chapter was INCREDIBLE and I am overwhelmed by the love it received. I was gifted not one but TWO moodboards by some of my lovely Twitter followers and I literally weeped. I love [svalewayland](https://twitter.com/svalewayland/status/1263292149019430912) and [w0banyelory](https://twitter.com/w0banyelory/status/1263522344921939977) with all my heart and I'm SO SO THANKFUL. 
> 
> And now, let's see how our smart-ass couple are doing one year later... :)

“Would you please keep still?”

Rey squirmed as Ben’s hand grazed her lower back, deft fingers attempting to zip up her dress. “I can’t help it, you’re tickling me.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” he breathed in her ear, checking his work to make sure she was secure in the dress.

Rey couldn’t remember the last time she wore something so formal. Even before she chose her field of study, she _never_ wore dresses, always opting for a pantsuit or a skirt if she ran out of options. But Ben had wrested her into one after she neglected to pack any, not expecting to get an award. She wanted to wear one of her business casual outfits she had for the other days at the conference, but Ben wasn’t having it. Rey suspected it was more for him than for the actual ceremony.

Ben had come back from his panel talk on Memphis with the dress after Rey was given the news she was receiving an award. It was a simple number, one that showed off her curves, cut just above the knees so it gave a semblance of modesty. She was worried the off-the-shoulders look would be showing too much skin, but the way Ben gazed at her in the mirror pushed away any doubts she had. Screw what was considered appropriate; Ben’s eyes raking over every inch of her body was certainly _not_ appropriate. 

“You look beautiful.” He spun her around and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. She appreciated that he didn’t want to ruin her light makeup, since that was also a rarity. 

“Not so bad yourself,” she said. Ben donned his best suit, so this wasn't a new sight to Rey. She prided herself in being able to take it off in twenty seconds flat when he got home from a day of teaching, but she would have to be patient today. 

She pushed his glasses up his nose gingerly before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “Ready to head down?”

“Only if you are.”

Rey was always composed and calm when speaking at panels or when she visited Ben’s classes a few times. But having to pull a thank you speech out of her ass? That had her absolutely petrified. 

She didn’t think she was deserving of the award, which added another layer of anxiety to the whole situation. Ben had literally screamed at her when she expressed her thoughts and went on an hour long rant about how proud he was of her. Needless to say, it ended with her in tears and Ben apologizing profusely, concerned that he made her upset.

It was all happy tears, she told him. And that was the truth.

“I think I’m ready.”

*****

“It is my honor and great pleasure to award Doctor Rey Johnson with the American Anthropological Association President's Award.” 

Rey came from stage left to accept her award, her flats clacking against the hardwood stage. While Ben could wrestle her into a dress, heels were a hard no. She wanted her feet flat on the ground, as her track record with uneven surfaces were not the best. 

The presenter firmly shook her hand and Rey prayed that he didn’t notice just how sweaty her palms were. He handed her the plaque with her name engraved neatly under her award title, and it started to hit her again how she received one of the most prestigious awards given in her discipline.

She took the podium and turned the microphone up slightly so she wouldn’t have to lean awkwardly. Ben suggested that she write something out, so that she wouldn’t be as tense and could have something to go off of, but in true Rey fashion, she winged it. 

“I first want to say how honored I am that I was even considered for this...” she trailed off, that familiar tight feeling in her stomach growing from seeing just how many people were in the audience. She surveyed the crowd row by row before continuing so that she would have an anchor to hold on to. She picked nervously at her nails until she spotted him at the end of a row. 

He gave her a shy wave, a sign of encouragement, and all the anxiety she had melted away instantly.

“I first want to thank my mentor and advisor, who taught me literally everything I know. He sadly can’t be here today, but I know if I don’t mention him, he would hop on the next flight here to give me a piece of his mind.”

Some snickers from the audience. She could do this.

“Second, to my best friends, who were the only people who told me that pursuing a degree in ancient studies would be a wise decision in undergrad, since everyone else I spoke with advised it was a very, very bad idea. And a special thank you to Poe Dameron, who also can’t be here today, but if it wasn’t for him, I would’ve never been able to recover the dig after the storms we faced.”

Ben was beaming at her from his seat, and she held his gaze as she finished out her speech.

“And finally, to my partner, both on and off dig, Ben Solo. If you hadn’t accidentally made me fall off a sand dune into that pit, I would’ve never found that statue, let alone the entirety of Tjaru. It still baffles me that we were looking in the wrong place up until that point, but I’m so grateful that I had that near-death experience. I never thought that that would be what brought us together, but I don’t regret it in the slightest.”

Rey fiddled with the ring on her finger, searching for the right words. In the past year, Ben had given her everything she wanted, and more. For all the years Rey spent alone on Tatooine, and in her childhood in the present day, Ben made up for it ten-fold. She was reminded daily, sometimes more than once a day, that she didn’t have to go through anything alone. The nightmares never went away, the memories they shared of their past lives burned forever in their minds. Though pieces of their story were still missing, choosing to focus on the future helped them make sense of what they did know, and they slowly filled in the blanks as they had new dreams. A future with someone was not in her original plan; if it happened, she would take it with open arms. Rey didn’t picture it happening like this, with visions and ideas of reincarnation; she wouldn’t have it any other way.

While she was good at waiting, Rey was thrilled that she didn’t have to any longer.

“While I’m excited to marry you, I’m sad to announce that I can’t take your last name. Your students would be too confused at who wrote what, and I don’t want to give them any more hardships than you already do.”

She could hear the audience laughing, but Ben’s smile was the only thing that mattered. 

“Thank you for keeping me grounded, and reminding me that I’m not alone. While I wish I didn’t have to almost die to realize just how much I love you, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m very lucky to have you and be yours. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Ben flashed that rare toothy grin she loved so much, and Rey knew, deep down, that a lifetime together would never be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The [AAA President's Award](https://www.americananthro.org/ConnectWithAAA/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1631&&navItemNumber=771) is presented at the yearly AAA Conference to an anthropologist (archaeology is a sub-branch of anthropology) who has made a significant impact in their field. These conferences are held so that scholars can present findings from their extensive research projects and receive grants to continue these projects.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who has supported this fic; I appreciate every single kudos, comment, and kind gesture given. And a BIG thank you to my best friend who stayed up with me till obscene hours of the night so I could rant to her about this fic and what I wanted for it. I truly didn't want this story to end, but don't worry! I'll be writing again VERY soon, so stay tuned for updates :)
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://bewithmereylo.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bewithmereylo).


End file.
